As soon as I stepped foot in front of the bright, yellow-lit box office at the Enmore Theatre, I knew I was in for a good night. Arriving at the seats myself and my Mum (a major Kasabian fan) had been assigned, I felt the atmosphere from the very beginning; there was a faint buzz coming from all the people who collectively knew what was about to come.
Opening the show with a strum of an electric guitar, Jacob Fitzgerald and the Electric City began their set. The Melbourne-based band had a distinct blend of indie-pop and classic rock and roll. Frontman Jacob Fitzgerald indulged the crowd with his charming personality, bringing an instant elusive stage presence. The band have toured across Australia with several other prominent bands, such as The Rions and The Struts, making supporting Kasabian another addition onto many recognitions of talent and excellence.
With a good balance of romance and raunch, the band had the crowd slowly falling in love (or lust) with not only the music, but the energy the band oozed. Jacob Fitzgerald and the Electric City are a relatively small band, with just over 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, which made the level of crowd engagement they were able to uphold all the more impressive. If I hadn’t known they were a support act, I would’ve simply assumed they were headliners. Between their captivating presence and the Springsteen-style elements in their music, it screamed that they are about to make their mark in the ‘Aussie Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame’.
Next to get the crowd ready-to-go was groovy Brit-pop band Blossoms. The chemistry between the band members was astounding, with their sheer coordination and smooth sounding production. Blossoms are known for their melodic storytelling and syncopated flair. Frontman Tom Ogden blessed the crowd with his Jarvis Cocker-esque dance moves, and the charisma that helped the crowd fall smitten with the feeling of simply letting go.
Opening with a song from the newest album ‘Gary’ (2024), the band set up a freeing atmosphere of fun funk. There’s a certain uniqueness that Blossoms tend to bring to every album they release, and it was noticeable in the setlist. From ‘Charlemagne’ and ‘Your Girlfriend’ to title track ‘Gary’, and their rendition of Whitney Housten’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, the band tailored their feel-good set to a broad spectrum of old, new, and non-fans. To put it simply, there was not a moment where I was able to stop smiling while Blossoms played, whether I knew the song or not.
Once the two supporting bands had finished up their sets, the time had come for the true nostalgia of the early 2000s to kick in. There was a 30-minute period of sheer anticipation and preparing to jump for the rest of the night. At the 28-minute mark, the lights dimmed as The Angels classic, ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’, started playing; an incredible way of implementing an Australian touch to the night. After a few rounds of chants of “No way, get fucked, fuck off”, Kasabian stole all eyes and ears as they walked onto the stage from the side lines.
After walking onto the stage full of unparalleled nonchalant confidence, Leicester’s Kasabian pumped out ‘Call’, a song from their newest album. Unsurprisingly, everyone knew the words. The following set hit all of their great classics; it was a performance for the ages, jumping through the past 20 years of rock, dance, and indie music all in one show. With ‘Club Foot’ being the second song, the room exploded into sections of jumping, hand bumping, and multiple mosh pits. The energy was incomprehensibly incredible.
In a small break between songs, frontman Sergio Pizzorno told the crowd how the band hadn’t been to Australia in nine years. He explained how excited they were to be back, and praised the crowd on being as energetic as they were, while pointing at spaces where mosh pits were, saying “This is how you fucking do it!”
Before playing ‘You’re in Love with a Psycho’, the band requested to see as many people on each other’s shoulders as possible. The crowd did not disappoint, with a sea of people climbing on top of each other and waving their hands.
Pizzorno created an atmosphere where there was no real distinction between the crowd and performers. At one point in the show, to solidify the community feel, Pizzorno came off the stage to join the mosh pits, though I’m sure the security guards weren’t too pleased. Something that differentiated them from other performers when creating the togetherness of the show was their constant appreciation towards those who were seated in the lounge and circle — “seated” being somewhat of a meaningless word in this case, considering the majority of people upstairs were standing, having a boogie of their own. Not only did he go into the crowd in the stalls, but for one of the songs, he ran up backstage to the lounge to look out at the crowd and sing with those in the seated areas.
Kasabian conducted, possibly, one of the best closings of a show I’ve experienced. The final song of the night was an all-time fan favourite, ‘Fire’. On request, the crowd really did “give it all [they] got”. While Kasabian are used to playing huge shows, typically outdoor festivals with large open showgrounds or arenas, the small, enclosed space of the Enmore Theatre allowed the raucous energy to encumber. It was clear that everyone in the room felt the invigorating energy from the bass and drums, and the true excitement of being able to see such an established, well-renowned band. Kasabian kept up their legacy of captivatingly high-energy shows, while filtering through their diverse discography.
PSA: I believe the Enmore Theatre may need an infrastructure check of the Lounge and Dress Circle after the two shows that weekend. Sorry Enmore!
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